Deadline approaching for £8,000 acquisition prize

The application deadline is approaching for an £8,000 prize to enable a museum or gallery to acquire original prints for their collection.

Open to museums and galleries across the UK, the Hallett Independent Acquisitions Award allows the winning institution to make acquisitions at the London Original Print Fair, which takes place at the Royal Academy of Arts in April.

The award aims to encourage curators to engage with the print fair and the printmakers of today.

Previous winners of the prize, which was known until 2017 as the Ecclesiastical Original Print Award, include the Imperial Health Charity in London (2018), the Hatton Gallery in Newcastle (2017) and the Atkinson Southport (2016).

All shortlisted entrants will receive a print by a Royal Academician. They will also be required to send a representative to attend the fair’s opening reception on 24 April, where the winner will be announced. The prize also includes dinner and a night in a central London hotel for the representative of the winning institution. The grant must be used before the fair closes on 28 April.

Museums and galleries can apply for the award by sending a letter outlining how it would enhance their collection. The selection committee is interested in hearing about the role prints already play in the collection, and how or why the institution would like to expand its print holdings.